OCD V1 Review

New! Hear the OCD on Robin Trower's 2006 Tour, here's a song from 6-29-06 in NY. Notice how incredibly well the OCD cleans up, he rarely ever turns off the pedal, doing the entire range of sounds with the guitar's volume knob.

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
guitarcrazy1991, on december 13, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Purchased from: Ebay

Ease of Use: The OCD is a very versatile pedal. It has volume, tone and Drive knobs and a HP/LP Switch. When you plug it in, there are many great tones available at your fingertips. It can be used with the volume up and the Drive low as a clean boost on the clean channel. Still on the clean channel, with the Drive up it can be used as a light Overdrive. On the Drive channel it's a whole different story though. Set the Drive on the OCD to full and have the amps Drive on full and you have a brutal metal tone. What I do is I set the amps Drive around 3, volume on full on the OCD and the Drive around 12 o'clock with the HP/LP Switch in the HP position and I get a nice hard rock tone. Overall, very versatile pedal capable of many genres while at the same time being very easy to use. I didn't get a manual with mine as I bought it used. But, no-one should need a manual as a chimp could get a usable tone out of it! In the ebay listing the person Who I bought it off said he thought it might be a 1st edition. After doing a bit of research it is one of the early ones; whether it's 1st or 2nd I don't know but it has a date inside which is 7/12/2005. // 10

Sound: I'm using it to push my Laney VC15-110 into slightly higher gain territory, not metal but around the hard rock area as the amp's Drive just didn't do it for me when I was playing hard rock at low volumes. This pedal is amazing, with my amps Drive on 3 and the pedals Drive at around 12 o' clock and the volume on full, my amp screams. When you have the volume and or gain on full, there is a bit of a hiss but I'm willing to put up with that because the pedal is just simply awesome. No matter what you have it set to, you can get a usable tone of of it. Even with the Drive on 0 it acts as a nice clean boost. I bought it to push my amp into slightly higher gain than my amp is capable of at low volumes such as Dream Theater, Velvet Revolver and slash's snakepit. As, I can't crank my amp when my parents are around because they complain but I also can't get a satisfying OD tone at low volumes. It does this perfectly. It's overall tone is good, amazing if you EQ your amp decently and tweak it to the sound you want. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I honestly can say I can depend on this pedal. It's built like a tank, and is fairly heavy; heavier than I expected. There seems to be a guarantee of quality on anything that has the Fulltone logo on it, everything I've tried out has been built solidly with good quality parts. I feel like I could treat this pedal how I want and it wouldn't break; it could probably survive anything I throw at it (or anything I throw it at). But I wouldn't do this because it's an awesome pedal and I wouldn't want to risk breaking it. I would defiantly use this pedal at a gig without a backup as it is built solidly and anything else just wouldn't satisfy me tone wise. // 10

Overall Impression: I play classic rock/hard rock/blues and this pedal is an awesome match, it can get the the boost/perfect tone for solos when I'm playing classic rock, it is an awesome clean boost for when I play blues and I'm improvising and it can make my amp scream at low volumes when I'm playing hard rock. I've been playing for about 6 years and I use it with a Vox V847 wah pedal, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus pedal and a Laney VC15-110 valve amp. It works well with all my gear. Except, my wah doesn't handle higher gain stuff too well, but that's nothing to do with the OCD. If it were lost/stolen I wouldn't think twice about replacing it immediately as nothing compares for what I use it for. I compared it to a TS808 and a TS9 and the OCD is in a class of it's own, it just sounded better than the tube screamers for what I wanted. This pedal is perfect the way it is. I would prefer it to not hiss at higher gain but I can easily ignore that so I'm giving it a 9. // 9

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
Mitchell?, on january 26, 2009 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 140

Purchased from: Pro Guitar Shop.com

Ease of Use: This pedal is super easy to get a great tone out of it. Turn everything to noon and you've got a classic tone right there. It's a straight-foward pedal, with a Volume, Tone, and Drive knob, but it has the extra feature of the 'HP/LP' Switch, which means High Peak/Low Peak. I'll explain that more a bit later. // 9

Sound: This pedal sounds great, and I imagine it'd sound great in any rig. My rig is a PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow (mahogany body, two humbuckers) to a Vox AC15. It makes for a great tone in ANY genre. It's chock full of rich harmonics. It literally sound like an amp, not a pedal. Great for a touch of dirt for Indie, great singing blues tones, and a genuinely sweet classic rock tone. With the Drive knob all the way up it'll evoke those great classic rock legends, such as Led Zeppelin. The Fulltone OCD isn't noisy, even with the Drive all the way up. The OCD is very transparent too. Depending on your set-up, it'll sound different. Your Vintage LP will still sound like your Vintage LP through the OCD. In front of your Marshall Plexi, you'll still get the character of your Plexi. This pedal sounds more like a second channel on your amp, rather than an 'effect.' It's full on rich harmonics, and versatile Overdrive tone that'll work wonderfully for anyone. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing is built like a truck. Tough aluminium enclosure, it just feels good in your hand. It could take a serious can of whoop ass, for sure. I would gig with it without a backup. I have Faith in Fulltone's manufacturing, I think this thing could withstand A LOT before giving up. // 9

Overall Impression: My overall impression with this pedal is one word: Wow. Imagine you're favorite rig having one more channel, one for set of great tonal possibilities. The Fulltone OCD is the pedal to improve any rig, not matter the player, the rig, or the genre. This is great for my styles of playing, which ranges from folk, to Indie, to classic rock, to metal. This works great for everything. If someone stole this pedal I would be pretty pissed. I use it everytime I play, either as an OD, or as a clean boost. I wuld just have to grit my teeth and buy another. I love the fact that you can just plug this pedal in and get a great tone. All you have to do is fiddle with a few knobs to get a perfect tone for you. I compared this to a lot different products, but in the end I knew there was one OD pedal that rules supreme for me, the Fulltone OCD. // 10

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
fender--player1, on june 07, 2010 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 149

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: This is a very simple pedal with Volume, Drive, and Tone control knobs. It also has a selector Switch for a British or Fender type overdrive. I love it. The manual gives two setting examples to test out. Personally, I don't think you need them, it's that simple to use. // 9

Sound: I use this with a Marshall Class 5, and my MIM HSS Strat. I love the sound I get when the humbucker is selected. Nice, full, rich overdrive. I use the British selected sound for Van Halen, Slash type stuff. If you are looking for that warm sound that Slash uses in Use Your Illusion (like in You Could Be Mine), this is it. However, it does not get that early, crunchy sound from Appetite. The selector for the different types of Overdrive seems a little pointless to me, I have to admit. The British one just has the tone cranked a little higher, while the Fender one is the same thing with a little less treble. This pedal makes no noise what'soever! That's a huge bonus. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Fulltone's stuff is handmade in California. This is very solidly built, and I would not bring a backup wit me to a gig, It's that reliable. The casing is very heavy duty built, and shows no scratches at all. There are two finger screws on each side of the casing to put in another 9 volt if you need to. Very convenient that you don't need a screwdriver. // 9

Overall Impression: Since I play Halen and Slash stuff, this works very well. I think they need to take out the "distortion" part in the title, because it just is overdrive. It seems no matter what I do, I can't get that Marshall crunch tone out of it, which is a bit of a letdown. It still works pretty well though. If this got stolen, I would probably get another. I compared this to a few other OD pedals, and this one was by far the best. I think this belongs on every pedal board. // 8

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
ToneMonster, on july 09, 2010 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: These are around 150 and well worth it. Both of Fulltone's drives are reasonable in cost for a boutique pedal and they are quality. I get tired of TS mods. This is a different animal. Easy to dial in, gain level, tone control, and vol level. A LP low peak and a HP high peak switch. Use the LP for cleaner and more Fender tones the HP for more gain and a more Marshall sound. (More bass on HP and a slight bump at 3.5k) // 10

Sound: No matter where you dial this in, it has great musical tones. I use it more for a cleaner boost into my tube head. But it gets a really great gain structure on its own. There are a million uses for it instead of just setting it and leaving it, I find myself always noddling with it for differing boosts or Drive tones. A keeper pedal, no matter what I change on my board I will never drop my OCD, I made that mistake once before I will not lose it again. I use a Fat Boost in front of this and that combo is major tone. If you like strats like I do, the OCD and Fat Boost are must have pedals. The OCD is very tube like in dynamic response Pick it light or hard and you get a tube response on the gain, roll off the volume and it cleans up without losing tone. Other ODs just clip at a certain level they do not have the english this has in feel or touch! // 10

Reliability & Durability: Fulltone, is I think as good as good gets.
Some boutique pedals get ground loop problems or the occasional Switch pop from charging issues. Always use a proper isolated supply and cycle the Switch before you bring your amp off standby. I dig Fulltone myself. I have two on my board now and plan for more when possible. // 10

Overall Impression: The OCD is a classic and it is worth more than the going price which is around 139-160 depending where you look. If you like OD you will like this pedal even if you are a TS mod nut, nothing is like this pedal. I run differing ODs and high gains on my board just for the options. The OCD is a permanent resident. // 10

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
ananikangel, on february 18, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 140

Purchased from: Gift

Ease of Use: This may well be the best Overdrive pedal in the world. It has a beautiful, rich, deep sound, with Killer harmonics. It's very simple and effective. All you have to do to change the Overdrive level is adjust the tone knob on your guitar. And since this pedal acts perfectly as a main overdrive, (as gritty as it gets, when you want it to be), the amount of control you have over it is stunning. I have had this pedal for a year, and I am still in awe over it. // 10

Sound: I am using this pedal with a Fender Mustang II amp, a DigiTech Whammy, and an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus. This pedal gives a lot of noise- in the good way. It gives you a perfect overdrive, without any of the extra gunk some pedals give you. So perfect, in fact, that I use it as my main overdrive. This means that I can Switch between an overdriven and a perfectly clean, Acoustic sound with a press of a button. The effects on this pedal are strong and muscular, and when you have it on a lesser drive, they are almost... Imposing. You can almost hear the power of the pedal waiting to burst forth. It sounds incredible. I play with a lot of Drive in my music, alternative, classic rock and metal, so this pedal is absolutely perfect. I play a lot of Muse, Led Zeppelin, and Metallica (their earlier stuff). For Muse, the sound is impeccable. What's great is that this pedal sounds AMAZING on drop octave. I <3 it. Led Zeppelin... It can give you the most satisfying, eargasm inducing sounds i've ever heard. The riffs sound bluesy and towering at the same time, which i have never before experienced. And for Metallica... WOAH... Master of Puppets is a really hard song for overdrive, but this pedal handles it perfectly, without any of the crappy sounds that come from your amp or lower quality pedals. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Solid, strong, sturdy. I wouldn't need a backup for this pedal. The only thing that I would wish for is a plug included with your purchase, because the battery runs out after 20 hours of playing. Seems like a lot, but I play a lot too. After I got a plug though, everything was fine. The only "backup plan" I would have at a gig would be an extra battery. // 10

Overall Impression: Perfect pedal. I can't really say anything more. I've never in my entire extensive guitar career seen a pedal that can act as a main Overdrive with amp od at zero. I would buy this pedal again if stolen. And I am confident I would do this over and over again. I hate nothing about this pedal, and it has everything. I am almost brimming with passion as I write this, because this pedal is, in one word, SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!!! // 10

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
nikeinajar, on april 21, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 140

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: Wow, this is probably my favorite pedal on my board. I tried out an Ibanez tubescreamer was very impressed then was suggested I try this one out. I dipped into my savings for the extra $40 to buy this pedal instead of the tubescreamer. This pedal is as easy as setting the knobs in almost any position and rocking out. That easy. The Switch has a nice firm click to it so it's easy and crisp to turn on. // 10

Sound: I'm playing a Gibson Les Paul with a Gibson 500t ceramic bridge pickup through an Orange Rocker 30 head with a Orange ppc 212 cab. This thing will make your amp LOUD! It's not only an Overdrive pedal it can be used as a clean boost by turning down the Drive and tone and upping the volume. This thing can go from a subtle overdrive/boost pedal to beyond Overdrive bordering on distortion. Also it has this Switch that lets you Switch from high pass and low pass, pretty much flip it up, sound like you're playing through a mid/high gain Marshall tone, flip it down sound like you're playing through a smooth Fender tube amp. You should watch how much you turn up the tone, it'll get a bit harsh tone wise, I don't set mine above noon. This thing lets you sound like you're playing on your favorite rock band's album, all you gotta do is find how much Drive to use. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It looks and feels pretty sturdy but I'm weary of the design on the casing, it's a two part casing with a bend piece as the top and sides with the bottom piece being the bottom and front and back, feels kind of weird. Also it is small but like I said it's sturdy. // 9

Overall Impression: I play experimental mathrock/jazz mostly, but I do get asked and choose to play more conventional rock/blues and even a little heavy stuff, also I incorporate that heavy Overdrive into my sound. I've been playing for around 7-8 years. If it were lost/stolen I would cry, then sell a kidney to get another one. I love that it's easy to use and feels good to turn on and it sounds above all else "amazing". // 10

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
sheriff_nein, on may 09, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 140

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: Nothing too fancy here. The three knobs are pretty straight forward. The little HP/LP Switch confused me for a bit, I thought it just gave you a boost, but I figured out that it gives a bit more distorted tone for HP. But this pedal should give you no problems. // 9

Sound: I have a Fender blues junior, with an Epiphone explorer. It sounds great. My favorite thing about this pedal is its versitality. Turn the Drive all the way down, and you have a perfect volume booster. A little up, around a third, it sounds like a naturally overdriven amp. Little higher, two thirds to three quarters, and you're looking at some pretty hard distortion. Crank it, and its basically fuzz. And its just one pedal. There is basically no noise here. I haven't noticed any, at least. When its off, its off. Also, this thing plays like a tube amp. That is to say, light strokes don't get as dirty as if you hit the strings as hard as you can, and I like that a lot. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing is very durable, I think. Not quite at the level of a Boss product, but seems sturdy. Just open it up, and you can see how thick the plating is. So, don't play football with it, but if you do drop it, I doubt it'll explode then and there. The battery life is pretty good (use good quality batteries though). You can tell that the batteries are on the way out, because the LED starts dimming. But, and this is a big plus, the sound is not affected in the least. Score. I played a gig with this thing, battery was dying, it held on just fine. Bad idea, but it worked. Just be sure to unplug the inout, although unlike a Boss pedal, leaving it in overnight wont completely drain the batteries. The best bet, like any pedal, is a dc converter, but batteries are not bad on this thing. // 8

Overall Impression: You can basically use this for any style of music. It was very highly recommended to me, and when I tested it out, I couldnt help but agree. If this thing were stolen, I would sell all of my belongings and pursue the theif. I love how flexable this thing is, and how easy it is to tweak. I don't need to get a second Overdrive pedal for a booster, I've got one right here. I did compare this to a few others, most notalby the tube screamers. Although they did put up a fight, they just didn't sound as good on my amp. Personal preference, really, those a great pedals. Basically, this is one of my favorite pedals. P.S., it looks cool. // 9

OCD V1
Reviewed by:
Artemis Entreri, on april 05, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 129.99

Ease of Use: This pedal is incredibly easy to use and not just because it only has 3 knobs. It's incredibly easy to dial a good tone. Nearly any setting on the pedal sounds "good." The volume and gain knobs are self explanatory and the tone knob works on a simple principle of adding treble and cutting bass as it's turned. Never fear bottomless tones however, as you increase the gain the low end increases with it. // 10

Sound: This pedal sounds incredible. I run mine in front of a Fender Deluxe Reverb or a Silverface Champ. I can get either to sound as if on the verge of break up or turn them into roaring Marshall stacks. Fulltone professes that this pedal can achieve the sound of a cranked tube amp without actually having to crank one and it does. When I record in my studio at night I use the pedal on a very quiet deluxe, yet the tracks sound HOT and full. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The pedal is solid. It's entire casing is metal as is the switch. I have no fear of it failing me in the foreseeable future. // 10

Overall Impression: Simply outstanding. I spent a good few months researching Overdrive pedals, digging through reviews and going to shops. The OCD was constantly recommended to me and I took a chance and ordered one without ever playing it in person. It's become the main feature of my distorted sound. I would replace it in a heartbeat and am considering purchasing a second one to use as an additional "channel" to my deluxe.
If you're looking for a (somewhat) affordable Overdrive to light distortion pedal, look no further. The OCD is incredible. I've been using mine for 6 months and never had a second thought. // 10

I had a v3 OCD and missed it so much I got the v4 and I will never drop this pedal off my board. Each time I use it I find I am dialing in different tones and they are all good. The best OD pedal from clean to dirty. Very tuby sounding and responsive. $139 US cheap for the quality and a Fulltone, I had a good TS mod just like this pedal more. Will probably pick up the Ice Nine OD whenever they get them out. Mess with this one and you find a lot of uses for it.